Abstract 1616P
Background
The prevalence of cancer is increasing globally especially in developing countries where the limited therapeutic resources are available and it demands high-quality patient care and a multi-disciplinary approach to achieve optimum therapeutic outcomes. This study was designed to demonstrate the impact of a clinical pharmacist with oncology specialty training on clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes in an oncology setup.
Methods
In a prospective-interventional study medical records and medication charts were reviewed to ensure the appropriateness of chemotherapeutic agents prescribed as per the clinical stage, supportive care provided, frequency and administration techniques used to deliver chemotherapy with respect to NCCN, online portal of New South Wales Cancer Care Unit and ESMO clinical practice guidelines. Moreover, patients were interviewed and given with EQ-5D-5L questionnaires to assess the quality-adjusted-life-years (QALY). The identified medication-related problems were thoroughly discussed with respective oncologists and were resolved. The study was approved by the institutional ethical review board and carried out for 2 years.
Results
A total of 453 medication-related issues were identified from the medication orders of 341 enrolled patients. The prevailing issues were lack of adequate supportive care (17.88%), irrational administration of chemotherapeutic agents (14.79%), negligence of co-morbid conditions (14.34%), improper dose calculations (13.68%), drug interactions (11.69%), sub-optimal therapy (11.25%) and lack of monitoring adverse events (11.92%). The oncology clinical pharmacist had done the interventions to resolve the medication-related problems. Consequently, the significant improvement was observed in the QALY of patients receiving oncology pharmacy services along with a reduction in the cost of drug therapy compared to those who were not.
Conclusions
The study illustrated significant improvement in the patients’ health-related quality of life. The incorporation of the oncology pharmacy model in an oncology setup not only improves the clinical and humanistic outcomes but also renders economic benefits.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.